Bob Dylan - Black Diamond Bay Lyrics
Up on the white verandaShe wears a necktie and a panama hat.Her passport shows a faceFrom another time and placeShe looks nothin like that.And all the remnants of her recent pastAre scattered in the wild wind.She walks across the marble floorWhere a voice from the gambling room is callin her to come on in.She smiles, walks the other wayAs the last ship sails and the moon fades awayFrom black diamond bay.As the mornin light breaks open, the greek comes downAnd he asks for a rope and a pen that will write.Pardon, monsieur, the desk clerk says,Carefully removes his fez,Am I hearin you right?And as the yellow fog is liftinThe greek is quickly headin for the second floor.She passes him on the spiral staircaseThinkin hes the soviet ambassador,She starts to speak, but he walks awayAs the storm clouds rise and the palm branches swayOn black diamond bay.A soldier sits beneath the fanDoin business with a tiny man who sells him a ring.Lightning strikes, the lights blow out.The desk clerk wakes and begins to shout,Can you see anything?Then the greek appears on the second floorIn his bare feet with a rope around his neck,While a loser in the gambling room lights up a candle,Says, open up another deck.But the dealer says, attendez-vous, sil vous plait,As the rain beats down and the cranes fly awayFrom black diamond bay.The desk clerk heard the woman laughAs he looked around the aftermath and the soldier got tough.He tried to grab the womans hand,Said, heres a ring, it cost a grand.She said, that aint enough.Then she ran upstairs to pack her bagsWhile a horse-drawn taxi waited at the curb.She passed the door that the greek had locked,Where a handwritten sign read, do not disturb.She knocked upon it anywayAs the sun went down and the music did playOn black diamond bay.Ive got to talk to someone quick!But the greek said, go away, and he kicked the chair to the floor.He hung there from the chandelier.She cried, help, theres danger nearPlease open up the door!Then the volcano eruptedAnd the lava flowed down from the mountain high above.The soldier and the tiny man were crouched in the cornerThinking of forbidden love.But the desk clerk said, it happens every day,As the stars fell down and the fields burned awayOn black diamond bay.As the island slowly sankThe loser finally broke the bank in the gambling room.The dealer said, its too late now.You can take your money, but I dont know howYoull spend it in the tomb.The tiny man bit the soldiers earAs the floor caved in and the boiler in the basement blew,While shes out on the balcony, where a stranger tells her,My darling, je vous aime beaucoup.She sheds a tear and then begins to prayAs the fire burns on and the smoke drifts awayFrom black diamond bay.I was sittin home alone one night in l.a.,Watchin old cronkite on the seven oclock news.It seems there was an earthquake thatLeft nothin but a panama hatAnd a pair of old greek shoes.Didnt seem like much was happenin,So I turned it off and went to grab another beer.Seems like every time you turn aroundTheres another hard-luck story that youre gonna hearAnd theres really nothin anyone can sayAnd I never did plan to go anywayTo black diamond bay.
